This Is War
by The Pedantic Lady Pendragon
Summary: 'She couldn't stop the wolf whistle escaping her lips as she looked at the HMAS Hammersley'. When Leah boards the ship for the first time little did she know how much of it would shape the rest of her life. Friendships, Tragedy and Romance ensues.
1. I'm Coming Home

Leah walked along the harbour her eyes scanning for the ship that she was meant to board. She could have spotted it a mile away with it's huge structure. She stopped just at the foot of the ramp looking up at the ship. Her stomach was filled with excitement and she couldn't stop the wolf whistle that escaped her lips as she studied every inch of the HMAS Hammersley.

But her stunned awe of the boat was broken as she heard a strong Australian accent from behind her. "She's something isn't she" the voice said and she turned to see a handsome man dressed in exactly the same navy whites as her.

"Yeah she is" Leah said back a smile on her face.

"Well I'm Dylan Mullholland but I go by Dutchy" he said holding his hand out for her to shake. "And you must be Leah Price if I can remember rightly" he said smiling and she nodded and took the mans hand and shook it.

"You are correct but I go by Sparks Dutchy" she grinned and the man laughed lightly at her words. She was learning already.

"Well that's fitting seems as you are our new GM" he chuckled as he looked her up and down. He couldn't help but stare at her bright blue eyes. And he couldn't exactly not notice how pretty she actually was. But he snapped back into professional mode and spoke once again. "So how about you allow me to give you a tour of your new home" he said and she nodded her approval and slowly the two walked up the ramp the both of them saluting as they did so.

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"So our tour is complete" he smiled as they made their way up to the bridge. "Only thing left to do now is to meet the team so if you just keep following me I can introduce you" he said grinning as he turned to look at her. She smiled back at him nodded once again.

Finally they made it up to the bridge and sure enough there was a group assembled there. As they arrived there a man walked towards them and stopped directly in front of her. "Miss Price my name is Mike Flynn CO of the HMAS Hammersley and it is a pleasure to have you serve here" he said kindly.

She saluted him before speaking. "It is an honour to serve on her Sir" she said with a smile and he nodded in approval.

"Right then I would like to introduce you too your ship mates, this is our Executive Officer Kate 'XO' McGregor" he said pointing to the blonde woman to his left. She extended her hand and shook the girls one.

"Nice to meet you" she smiled warmly and Leah couldn't help but smile back at the woman's warmness.

"This is 'Bomber', she is our Chef" he said introducing the short woman with short brown hair. She also sent a smile at her. "This is our electrical technician '2DADS'" he said pointing at the dirty blonde headed boy who was smiling at her cheekily. "Now this is 'Charge' our chief engineer, 'Spider' the boatswain's mate" he said pointing at another young boy who was smiling sweetly at her.

She didn't fail to notice his eyes wander up and down her figure. "This is Swaino our Coxswain aboard the ship and this is 'RO' our radio operator" he said pointing at the brown headed man on the end.

"So seems as you have met your shipmates X here will escort you to your quarters, you will be in with bomber and her" he said and Leah nodded and with that Kate stepped forward and walked off towards the door Leah following.

"So you accent is very distinctive, where are you from?" Kate said kindly as they wormed their way through the several corridors aboard the ship.

"I'm from Wales in the UK, I moved over here about three years ago and enrolled in the navy" she smiled back as her welsh accent filtered through strongly.

"I thought you were from there" Kate laughed as finally they came to a stop and Kate opened the door for her to step in. When she did she could see her bags already placed on one of the bunks.

"It's not half bad in here is it" she laughed as she looked around the surprisingly spacious room. She had expected something a lot more cramped.

"Well you'll rarely be in here, most of the time you'll probably be up on the bridge" X said as the girl quickly got changed out of her whites and into her uniform. Just as the girl had finished getting ready the CO's voice came across the tannoy.

"All hands on bridge, all hands on bridge over" he said and with that the two women hurried from the room and up onto the bridge. _Well this should be eventful_ Leah thought inwardly as they hurried away.

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**So first chapter guys, let me know what you think, this is my first ever sea patrol fic so please bare with me.**


	2. The Catalyst

"Okay there are reports of some recent activity on shelly island, it seems that it is a probable base for a massive drugs heist that took place last week, so X organize the boarding party" the CO ordered and everyone got to their respective tasks.

Within minutes they were all on the RHIB and speeding towards the island not far from them. Everyone had their guns on them armed and ready. Finally the arrived at the beach and X, Dutchy, Leah, Bomber, 2dads and Spider and Swain. "Okay Team X-ray will consist of me Dutchy and Sparks, Team Delta will be bomber and 2dads and team Tango will be Spider and Swain" she said and they all nodded moving into their respective groups.

"Okay so Team Delta head West, Tango you go East and we'll go inland, keep your radio's open and anything suspicious call in immediately" she finished and quickly everyone went in their desired directions.

"So what exactly are we going to do if we come across these guys" Leah asked as the three of them tread carefully along through the jungle area.

"Well it all depends, we'll observe but if things get out of hand then we will have to try and apprehend them" X spoke quietly as they all scanned the surrounding areas. Leah was now in the front when all of a sudden she heard a click coming from in the long grass they had just entered.

"Wait" she said quickly raising her hand to stop the other's following. They stopped in alarm wondering what she had seen. "Move backwards slowly" she ordered as she took a slow step back. A rock flew past her and she scanned to see where it had come from.

"What is it Spark" Dutchy asked worriedly. He tried to see what she was looking at but he couldn't see through the thick growth.

"I can see six land mines around this area and there is someone around us trying to set it off" she said as she took another step backwards but she refrained from doing that when her foot skimmed a mine she hadn't seen. She stepped over it and was nearly out of the area when suddenly a man with a gun appeared at the other end of the grass.

"Drop your weapon" X yelled as she Dutchy and Leah all raised their weapons and aimed at the man. He refused to and before they knew it he pointed his gun at the ground and fired. All the mines began exploding and the three officers jumped away from the blast as quickly as they could. Leah was thrown off of her feet and slammed hard into a nearby tree.

Mud, grass and metal rained down on them and finally the area cleared. X lifted her head and when she looked around she could see that the man had disappeared. "Team X-ray what was that over" came Swain's voice over the radio. X was going to respond but the ringing in her ears was unbearable. Looking up she could see Dutchy getting to his feet and not far in front of him was Leah who was just lying there unmoving at the foot of a tree.

"Sparks" Dutchy said noticing the newbie. He hurried over to her and kneeled down turning her onto her back. She had a nasty cut on her head from which blood poured out of. "Leah can you hear me" he said again as he tapped at her face but got no response. Kate hurried over next to him the ringing finally subsiding.

"Team Tango Team Delta this is team X-ray, we came under attack in the middle of a mine field, we need medical assistance urgently as one of our team is down I repeat team member down over" Kate said into her radio. She got a reply from team Tango who said they were en route to their position now but they didn't hear anything from Delta and this worried Kate.

Shaking it from her head she looked at the girl who still hadn't moved. Noticing blood forming on her shoulder she noticed that a bit of metal a few inches long was stuck in it. "Dutchy she has some shrapnel in her shoulder" she said and Dutchy slowly rolled her onto her side to examine the mark but as they did that gunfire echoed around them. They could see four men running towards them and jumped to their feet taking cover behind some trees and firing at them.

"Charlie Bravo we are under heavy fire and need immediate assistance over" Kate yelled into her radio to the CO and charge who were waiting on stand by on the boat.

"Team X-ray Roger that, ETA in approximately 20 minutes over" CO said back down his radio as he ordered charge to assemble a boarding party.

They fired back as fiercely and could see two men drop where their bullets had hit but all of a sudden Kate stopped as she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her neck.

"Put your weapons down" the burly man screamed drawing Dutchy's attention and he turned to see Kate frozen to the spot a gun to her neck. He put his hand up. "Put it down or I blow her head off" the man said angrily and reluctantly he dropped his weapon to the floor.

"Lucas search him for other weapons" the man said as he issued the last man standing from their gunfight towards Dutchy who's face was tight.

"Screw it they are expendable, say goodnight sweetheart" he said into Kate's ear as he cocked the gun. Her eyes widened in horror as did Dutchy's.

BANG!...

Kate was glued to the spot when the gunshot echoed. She felt the man behind her jerk slightly and slowly the gun slipped from his grasp to the floor and he followed straight after. Another shot rang out and the man who was near Dutchy suddenly fell to the ground dead. The two looked at each other and then behind them where they spotted Leah leaning against the tree her gun firmly in her grasp.

"You alright?" she asked as she placed it back in her holster breathing heavily.

"Yeah we're okay how about you?" Dutchy asked hurrying over to her and placing his hand on her arm trying to steady her. Blood soaked the left side of her face and she was struggling to see out of her eye due to the crimson liquid dripping into her eyes.

She nodded at them and took another breath. "Yeah I'm okay, a bit dizzy but alright all in all" she said back finally leaving go of the tree and standing up straight. "Where are the other's?" she asked looking around and her question was answered as she saw Spider and Swain run towards them.

"X what the hell happened over here" he yelled through the bushes as he came into the clearing and looked at the destruction around them.

"We just got attacked, it's okay Sparko here just saved our lives" XO said pointing at the girl who was stood next to her.

Swain winced at the cut on her head and the amount of blood that was coming from it. "Right before we move on let me check that wound okay" he said as he walked over to her and opened his bag.

He made quick work of cleaning the wound and placed a few stitches over it just to hold it together for now. He then began to work on her shoulder and so he quickly but carefully removed the metal from her shoulder and began to clean it up. "Where's team Delta?, they still haven't got in touch" she asked looking at Dutchy who shrugged his shoulders.

"We lost radio contact with them also ma'am" Spider said as he tried to get in touch with Bomber and 2dads once more but to no avail.

"Okay reinforcements should arrive in roughly ten minutes" XO said but the CO eventually came on the radio.

"Teams Delta, X-ray, Tango this is Charlie Bravo, due to a technical error aboard the ship our ETA to your location will now be approximately another 30 minutes, do you think you can cope until then over" Mike said through his radio. The worry he was feeling for his team was unbearable.

"Roger that Charlie Bravo over" X replied to them and as soon as she could not be heard let out a grunt of frustration. She didn't know if they could necessarily manage for that long.

"I think it's time we search for Bomber and 2dads" Leah said getting up to her feet and assembling herself. The others nodded in agreement with her, they had been out of contact with the two for far too long.

"Okay team Tango head north west we're gonna head west" Kate said his voice filled with authority and they all agreed and headed in their respective directions. No one knew what would happen next.

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**So second chapter up, I do hope you are enjoying and if so please let me know, the more reviews I get the faster I update.**


	3. Suns Gone Dim

"Hey Leah good spot on those mines, how the hell did you know they were there, they just looked like rocks to me" Dutchy said as he walked alongside the newbie who was still as much as she denied it rather dazed.

"I'm a gunners mate, it's what I've been trained to do Dutch" she laughed lightly as they trekked on through the brush. He just shook his head at his stupidity. "Talking of training I think you could brush up on your shooting skills" she chuckled and he just shot her a look of mock hurt.

"I can shoot just fine thank you, though I wouldn't mind a few extra lessons if you were teaching me" he laughed back and she couldn't help but giggle herself. Kate just rolled her eyes at the two's obvious flirting and made sure they snapped back into professional mode.

"You two keep it down, you could give away our position" she said sternly turning to face them and then turning back in the direction she was headed. They just looked at each with a glint of amusement in their eyes.

"Hey Sparks Dutchy look ahead, there's a small shack, I can't get a very good look at it though" Kate said and was about to walk forward when Leah's hand clamped down on her shoulder and stopped.

"X no, there's a few mines scattered about here, look you two go over towards that way and see if you can find a clear path over, I'll try and get a visual on what is going on" she said to them as she studied the ground in front of them.

"And how are you gonna do that with all these mines about" X said wondering what the hell the girl plan was.

"One I know where to step, and two who said I was going to walk through them to get a visual" she said and with that she jumped and grabbed a tree branch above her head and climbed on to it. She winced in pain as her shoulder throbbed and she could see the blood seeping through the fresh bandage that Swain had put on it. Pulling out her scope from her pocket she attached it onto her rifle and aimed at the shack zooming in on what she was seeing.

"Anything" Dutchy called up to her and she nodded.

"Okay looks like there are three men all armed, one with what looks likes a sawn off shotgun if I'm correct, the other is an M1 carbine and the third with an M1 Garand, so their packing some pretty heavy weaponry" she said looking down at her two comrades.

"Any sign of Bomber and 2dads" X asked wondering where the hell her two friends were.

Leah shook her head. "No I can't see anything, wait wait" she said as she focused her sight once again. There she could see Bomber and 2dads being dragged roughly from the back of a truck and into the shack. "Okay they've just been taken in there, they seem relatively unharmed" she said as she dropped down from the tree.

"Okay I'll let the other's know the we have a location and I'll find out where out reinforcements are" X said walking away from the group and giving her commands out.

"So I think the best way to do this is to worm our way around these mines instead of walking through because when I was up there I spotted a few which are looking very volatile, once we get in range we'll start an assault" Leah suggested to Dutchy who was looking down at her a smirk on his face.

"Sheesh since when have you been the CO, it's your first day here and you're already making a mark" he laughed but she didn't at all.

"This is serious come on Dutchy" she scolded her voice firm but not nasty. His eyes wandered to her shoulder and he winced for her.

"Are you sure you're okay, your arm is bleeding again" he said grabbing her arm and checking out the amount of blood that was coming from it.

She pulled her arm away from him and tried to mask the flash of pain that came across her face. "I'm fine Dutchy, come on lets tell X and see what she thinks" she said changing the subject and he nodded and she repeated her suggestion to Kate who agreed and slowly made their way around the mines Leah in the front scanning for them.

"Okay so reinforcements should be here in ten minutes or so and I've alerted Swain and Spider to our position" X said as they continued to walk around. Finally they found a stretch of path that didn't have any land mines and moved forward a few more yards. They were now within a stones throw of the shed and could hear movement from inside.

"Okay X it's your call" Dutchy said looking at his executive officer and she nodded. She went quiet for a moment pondering what they should do when finally she spoke.

"Okay let's move in, act fast and try to apprehend them but if they begin shooting fire at will do you understand me" she said strictly and the two nodded at their instructions and slowly they approached the shack.

They stopped next to the door and Dutchy raised his hand. One, two, three. With that he kicked the door down and ran into Leah and Kate behind him. "Put your hands up" he yelled but his command was instantly forgotten as he was tackled to the ground by one of the men.

"XO untie Bomber and 2dads" Leah yelled as she swiftly kicked the mans gun out of his hand before he could do anything. The man lunged at her and the two fell to the floor rolling around trying to land their blows. X had just untied the two when suddenly the third man came behind her with a taser gun and in one shot she was out cold on the floor.

2dads quickly jumped at him and the two began to fight with Bomber aiding 2dads. Leah kneed the man hard and staggered dizzily to her feet. Everything was blurring slighty and she failed to see the metal bar coming directly for her head. She flew backwards as stars danced vigorously in front of her.

The next thing she knew a syringe was sticking out of her neck as the man emptied its contents into her blood stream. Grabbing a nearby cylinder she brought it up and slammed it across the mans face knocking him out. Through the haze she could see Dutchy wrestling a gun out of a mans grasp but just as he did the gun went off and before they knew it a gas canister exploded knocking them off of their feet and setting the shack alight.

Leah groggily got to her feet and swayed on the spot. She could make out the figures of her comrades exiting the shelter quickly and telling her to go with them but instead she turned to see XO's unconscious form and with the last of the strength that was in her body she heaved the blonde up over her shoulders and stumbled out of the blaze.

Everything around her span and there was two of everything. As soon as she was far enough from the blaze her legs crumpled beneath her and she and XO fell to the ground. Leah just about registered Swain's face above her but she couldn't be sure.

"Sparks can you hear me" he said tapping at her face as her head lolled side to side. "Sparks I need you to tell what happened" he said as slowly as possible. He could see the girl was in a bad way. Looking over he could see Bomber trying to arouse the tasered XO.

"Syringe… inject-ed som'thin" she slurred as slowly blackness creeped it's way into her vision.

"Okay I just need you to stay awake for me yeah, Dutchy I need you to try and help me stem the bleeding in her shoulder" he shouted to the other man who hurried over and pressed down at the wound which was bleeding profusely.

"Come on Sparky just hold on a little bit longer, help is on it's way yeah" Dutchy cooed to the girl who slowly but surely was losing consciousness.

She tried to nod but it was impossible. The pain in her body was becoming too much for her to bare and finally the drug that was running through her veins took over her and she fell into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

"No no Leah come on open your eyes" Swain said trying to get her to awake but it was pointless. "Okay her pulse I thready and weak but it's still there, where the hell is that medivac with reinforcements" Swain yelled to no one in particular but his question was answered when he heard the sound of the helicopter over head and he could see several of their crewmates running towards them.

He looked at the youngster in front of him and couldn't help but feel ill inside. _What a bad first day_ he thought as he waited for the medics to run over. _I doubt she's ever want to step on that boat again _he thought as finally the medics took over from him and he could step back and observe the scene surrounding him. It was Carnage.

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**So the drama continues people, but yes I really do hope you are enjoying guys!**


	4. Save A Prayer

Leah stirred slowly and she didn't not notice the searing pain in her shoulder. Slowly she opened her eyes and had to blink several times due to the harsh lights above her. Finally she managed to open them fully and taking a breath she looked around at her surroundings.

She could tell straight away that she was in hospital due to the pristine white walls that surrounded her. She looked down at her body and could see the heavy bandaging that went around her chest and shoulder. The pain seemed to register a lot stronger after seeing this. But her pain was distracted as the door to her room swung open and in walked Dutchy with some flowers in his hand.

He didn't expect her to be awake and was slightly embarrassed that she had seen him come in with the flowers. "Hey" he said trying to cover his embarrassment as he placed the flowers down at the end of her bed.

"Hey" she said back and was shocked to hear how hoarse her voice was. "How's the X doing?, is she okay?" Leah asked as she remembered her unconscious XO.

He nodded his head a small smile on his face. "Here's you in a hospital bed and you're still asking about how other people are" he chuckled sitting himself down on the edge of it. "But yeah she's okay, she came around not long later and she's okay. But never mind her how are you?" he asked softly looking at the girls bruised face.

A bandage went around the top of her head and her face was littered with bruises and cuts. "I've been better" she said back shrugging but that sent a pain through her shoulder and she winced at it. "Much better" she added as the pain eased off once again.

"You certainly look like you've seen better days" he chuckled teasing her lightly. "So you wanna know your diagnosis" he said and she nodded in response. "Well you have concussion, bruised ribs, damaged shoulder and cuts and abrasions" he finished quietly.

She just nodded. "Well" she began as she pushed herself up a little so she was sat upright instead of lying down. "Not as bad as I'm feeling then, when can I get back on the ship?" she asked wanting to now when she could get out of the hospital. She hated hospitals.

"About another two days but the CO said you're going to be on light duties for at least a week" he said to her and she sighed in frustration. "Hey I'd gladly take the time off" he chuckled trying to cheer her up. "Anyway you never said how old you are? Or what you did before coming here?" he said to her wanting to discover more about the girl.

"I'm twenty five" she smiled at him and he nodded taking in her words. "And I started out in Afghanistan, I was with the First Battalion Royal Welsh and went on three tours" she said simply as she remembered her horrendous memories of those days.

"Why did you leave the military and opt for the Navy" he asked wondering why he would give up all that for a small patrol boat. But his questions was answered as she began to speak once again.

"It was my last tour and we were patrolling the streets when several hidden IED's went off and the Taliban sprung an ambush, Most of my team were either shot or blown up and both happened to me! I ran towards this kid who was lying on the floor rolling around in agony and picked him up and ran him to safety, once I got him out of the way I managed to get a few of my remaining comrades to safety and went to run back for my captain but a grenade landed just a foot away from me, and at the exact same moment I was shot three times! Next thing you know I'm waking up in a hospital three weeks later" she finished and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. He thought what he had seen was disturbing but what she had described to him sounded ten times worse.

"I'm sorry that happened to you" he said sadly and she just shrugged her shoulders at his words fed up of hearing them. _I'm sorry wasn't going to change anything now was it_.

"It's alright it's a long time ago now" she said looking at him and he couldn't help but notice her eyes glistening slightly. "It's funny, I got all my team killed and I get a freaking medal for gallantry for doing it" she chuckled not realising how much her words struck a chord with him. He had been there, done that, got the medal.

He didn't say a word. He knew from his own experience that there was no words that could console you when you had that sort of burden hanging over you! It was ridiculous!. He was finally going to break the silence when the door opened again and in strolled the X.

"Hey you're awake" she spoke kindly as she stopped on the opposite side of the bed. Leah smiled at her glad to see that she was fine.

"Yeah, glad to see you are too" she chuckled trying to lighten up the atmosphere that had gotten rather intense.

"Yeah thanks to you, the guys filled me in that it was you who carried me from the burning shack, even after you had been hurt badly and injected with some serum" she said looking down at the girl a small smile playing in her lips.

Leah nodded. "Was the least I could, couldn't leave my new XO to die now could I" she said back and the two shook their heads. "Anyway do they know what the hell they injected me with" she asked curious as too what had out her under.

"Some kind of sedative, it's out of system already so no worries there" Kate grinned back glad to see that the girl seemed relatively normal even though her appearance wasn't the best.

"Thank god for that" she said happily sighing in relief. "So what's going to happen now" she asked to no one in particular.

"You are going to rest" Dutchy and Kate said at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled. "But no serious, you need to recover and sleep is the best thing for you, so we'll leave you be" Kate said as she began to head off towards the door. She turned and stopped and looked at the girl in the bed. "Thank you Leah, you saved my life" she said with a smile and with that she left the room leaving only Dutchy and Leah.

"Well I better head off so I'll be back to see you later or something yeah" Dutchy said getting to his feet and he squeezed her bandaged hand gently. "Sleep tight" he said softly as he walked away from the girl. He got to the door and mimicking Kate's actions before he turned and looked at the girl. "You're a hero Sparky, don't ever forget that" he smirked and with that turned on his heel and left the girl alone to ponder on his words. She'd never seen herself as that.

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The days had passed and finally she was allowed back onto Hammersley. Her days consisted of just walking about the ship and doing light duty's which she was extremely pissed off about. She wanted to get back on the boarding parties but she had been refrained from doing so for at least another three days until she was fully healed.

So now she was in the armoury inspecting all the weapons. She had taken the guns apart and put them back together so much that she could do it with her eyes closed if needed. She was enjoying her solitude and surprisingly doing this routine soothed her. But her solitary status was disrupted as in walked 2Dads and Spider.

They both smiled at the smiled at the girl and sat down on the chairs opposite. "So we've got twelve hours of shore leave starting at nine tonight, do you wanna come for a few drinks with me, 2Dads, Bomber, and Dutchy" Spider asked politely as he watched the girl expertly put a weapon back together.

She nodded at the boy a small smile on her face. "Sure I'm up for that, so when and where shall we meet?" she asked them as she completed her task and began to lock the weapons back in the armoury.

"Well just meet on deck at half nine say" 2Dads said and she nodded in agreement. "Well good we will see you there then" he smiled as the two got to their feet and scurried out of the room. She just laughed at them before continuing her work but she turned around once again when she heard someone clear their throat.

Spinning she saw Bomber smirking at her from the doorway. "What" she said wondering what the girl was smirking at.

Bomber just chuckled. "Words got around that there has been some major flirting between you and Dutchy" she laughed and watched as the girl blushed slightly but she quickly regained her composure.

"It's just banter" she chuckled back as she finished locking everything up and slipped the keys back in her pocket. "And anyway I'm very clear of the non fraternization rule so fear not" she said back to the shorter girl who was still smiling.

Bomber just nodded. "Hey I didn't say anything, so anyway you coming with us tonight?" she asked kindly leaning against the doorframe tiredly.

Leah nodded at her and made her way over to where the girl was stood. "Yeah I'm coming, should be fun I need to severely let off steam after being stuck on this boat doing absolutely nothing for the last few days" she smiled and Bomber nodded back at her pleased with the older girls answer.

"Good, well then I'll see you back in our quarters later and we'll go meet the boys yeah" she said and the other girl agreed and with that she disappeared around the corner. She couldn't help but feel that tonight would be a long one.

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**So it was nice to have a lighthearted chapter to keep this story moving. Hope you're all enjoying guys.**


	5. I'm Glad You Came

"Where the hell are they, their ten minutes late already" 2dads groaned as he leaned up against the railings with the male crew members. They had gotten there ten minutes early.

"Hopefully it'll be worth it just to see how good their looking" Dutchy smirked looking at Spider, 2dads who chuckled and clapped their hands together in anticipation.

"We all know who you'll be looking at" Spider laughed with a wink. His flirting with Leah hadn't gone unnoticed aboard the ship by the two younger crew members. And he couldn't blame Dutchy for that because he himself even thought she was insanely good looking and if he had the chance to get in there he would gladly take it.

Dutchy was going to respond with a sarcastic remark but he was knocked speechless by the two women that were slowly making their way towards them. The other two turned to see what he was looking at and they to looked on in shock.

Leah was the first to get to them and she wore a very low cut white halter neck complete with light denim shorts which revealed her toned and tanned legs which looked even better in her silver heels. Dutchy couldn't stop his moth from falling open. Sure he had always seen her as gorgeous but when she was on the ship she never wore make up and her hair would be tied up in a ponytail. But tonight she had her make up on and her long raven hair fell down past her shoulders with light curls in them.

"Dutchy stop dribbling and close your mouth" she spoke as she put her hand on his chin and closed his mouth for him. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Behind her she could see Spider and 2dads make a big fuss of Bomber as she too was dressed in a similar outfit as herself. "So" she said cutting the men's lustful gazes short. "Where's the party at?" she asked and with that the three men hurried in front of them leading the way.

A few yards behind them the girls trailed. "Oh good god did you see their faces" Bomber chuckled as she pictured their reaction over and over again in her head.

Leah laughed next to her a she remembered Dutchy's facial expression. It was one of complete and utter shock. "Well" she said as they fell into step with each other. "Boys will be boys" she stated simply before the two girls erupted into fits of laughter.

* * *

"Okay on one two three" Spider said as they raised their shot glasses of vodka to their lips and knocked the contents back swiftly. 2dads spluttered as the liquid burnt his throat and in their drunken stupor this couldn't help but amuse the other members who giggled wildly like children.

"Okay next up is the wonderful tequila slammers" Leah chuckled as she grabbed the next tray of alcohol. She handed a shot to everyone and then a slice of lemon and a small pile of salt. "So do we all know how to do this?" she slurred to the group and they all nodded in understanding. "Remember salt. Tequila, lemon" she added on and they nodded eagerly once again. "Okay on three! One, two, three" she said and with that they did the routine.

Putting the shot glasses down they quickly did another two and with that slammed their shot glasses back down on the tray. All of them cheered in delight at their ability to drink everything. It was now nearly half two in the morning and they were still sat in the crowded club with loud pumping music in their ears.

2dads and Spider were swaying in their seats. They had been trying to show off their drinking skills all night but the idea had completely backfired on them and now they were completely and utterly legless. That's not to say that Dutchy, Leah and Bomber were completely sober themselves.

"Right come on let's dance" Bomber said loudly and she grabbed a hold of Leah and dragged her over to the dancefloor. The men just sat there and watched as the two girls jumped and laughed and danced around with each other.

"I'm going to get a round in, who wants what?" 2dads spoke drunkenly as he got his feet swaying rather violently. Spider too got up with him.

"Yeah I'll come give you a hand, what do you want mate?" Spider slurred at Dutchy who was starting to feel the effect of the alcohol a lot more now.

"Umm get me a fosters please Spide, And get the girls a shot of black sambuca each and a double archers and lemonade" he said as he remembered what the girls had been drinking through out the night.

2dads and Spider nodded and with that they slowly and shakily made their way through the crowded dancefloor to get the drinks. Dutchy leaned back in his chair and watched the crowd his eyes focusing on the tall Welshwoman who was now slowly making her way back over to him.

"Hey again" she said smoothly as she sat herself down right next to Dutchy her thigh literally pressed to his. He sucked in a breath at the contact but managed to compose himself.

"Well someone seems like they were having fun" he chortled at the girl in front of him and her now rather dishevelled appearance due to her dancing.

"I was having a lot of fun actually" she smiled back as she looked back to the spot that they had been dancing on previously. "Where the hell has Bomber gone?" she said to herself but Dutchy answered for her.

"She's up there look" he said leaning forward so his head was right next to hers. "Up by the bar with 2Dads and Spider getting a round in" he said and he stopped himself as he felt her hot breath on his face. They were literally centimetres apart. "I uh" he said leaning back slightly to try and shrug off his arousing feelings that were stirring within him. "I told them to get you a black sambuca and a double archers and lemonade" he smiled and she grinned back at him.

"Absolute perfection" she whooped as finally the three made their way through the bustling dancers with a tray in their hand. "You are a godsend 2Dads" she spoke softly as she took her shot and her glass off of him.

"Don't I just know it" he smirked pleased at himself as he sat down only to completely miss the seat and he hit the sticky dancefloor with a thud. Everyone roared with laughter at him as he writhed around on the floor struggling to get to his feet. Finally he dragged himself to his feet only to fall straight onto Bomber who screamed in laughter at him. She pushed him off her lap and onto the seat next to her.

"Right after this I say we call it a night, looking at the state of those two" she snorted as she pointed at Spider who was basically asleep on his arms on the table and 2Dads who had slumped against Bomber's shoulder.

The other two nodded in agreement so quickly they finished their drinks and Dutchy heaved 2Dads out of the club with Bomber and Leah aiding Spider out. They jumped in one of the big six seater taxi's and deciding that it would be easier if they all crashed at the closest flat they were en route to Leah's place.

After a quick two minute drive they arrived and paying the cab driver Leah stepped out of the taxi only to fall flat on her face. The other's shrieked with amusement as she tried to get herself up off the floor, Behind her she felt two strong arms around her waist and in an instant she was back on her feet. Turning to see who it was who had lifted her she saw Dutchy whose body was literally pressed to her's. "Thanks" she mumbled trying to hide the blush in her cheeks and hurriedly she walked away towards her door keys in hand.

The group entered the flat and Leah flicked the light on to reveal living room which was deceivingly large. "Woah nice place" Bomber said as she looked around at the spacious living room which at the far end had a large 52' plasma tv.

"Shame I'm not here more often huh" she stuttered in her drunken stupor. "Okay there's a spare bedroom through there Bomber you can go in there" she said pointing at the door on the far left. The girl nodded and took the bottle of water that Leah held out for her and quickly said her good nights before hurrying into the room and shutting the door. "2Dads and Spider get into my room and sleep now" she ordered as she handed them a bottle of water each as well. The two stumbled and staggered into the room and Leah and Dutchy ushered them in and threw them on the bed. As soon as they hit the mattress a loud snore emitted from them. She shut the door and walked back into the living room where Dutchy was sat on the large sofa.

"So where does that leave me and you?" he asked wondering where they would be sleeping tonight. She didn't say anything and instead shifted him off of the settee and grabbed the bottom of it. It unfolded and turned into a very large sofa bed. "Ahh I see" he chortled as he flopped himself down onto it.

She disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a large duvet and a few pillows and some spare clothes. "Here" she said chucking two pillows at him. He slipped them under his head and watched as she threw him a pair of grey joggers and an oversized t shirt that definitely didn't fit her. "Put them on, you smell" she laughed as she exited once more leaving him to quickly change into the clothing which surprisingly fit him very well.

"Sorry I was a while" she said as she came back in dressed in a tight tank top and white shorts. "I threw a pair of pajamas into Bomber for her to get changed" she said as she picked up the duvet off of the floor and her two pillows and placed them down next to Dutchy's and jumped onto the settee next to him pulling the duvet up and handing him half of it.

The two settled with their back facing each other. "Leah, can I ask you something?" he said using her first name. He was much more comfortable with using her first name when they were off of the boat.

"Sure" she mumbled sleepily from the otherside. She grabbed her water and took a sip of it the cold liquid refreshing her senses instantly.

"Why did you have me to sleep in here with you, I mean Bomber could have easily come on this and I could have had the spare bedroom" he said simply wanting to know what her motives were. He had liquid confidence so he didn't really care about asking her.

She didn't answer for a minute as she pondered her answer. "Bomber kicks out in her sleep, and I didn't fancy waking up with a dead leg in the morning" she said simply not turning to look at him. "And do you have a problem with sleeping on this thing, cause if so I'll go get Bomber now and you can swap" she said her voice slightly bitter at him.

"Oh no I didn't mean it like that, I just thought you might have been uncomfortable with this setup you know" he shrugged as he turned over so he was now looking at her back.

"Why would I have a problem?" she spoke her voice a lot cooler than before. "We're just friends right, and it's what friends do" she said quietly as she finally tried to shut her eyes.

He just stared at her back wondering what the hell she was thinking. _Yeah just friends_ he spoke to himself inwardly as he too finally shut his eyes and tried to block out all thought of the raven haired girl next to him. Though that was extremely difficult.

* * *

**So another fun chapter, Hope you are enjoying the relationships that I'm building between the group. Nothing better than a few drinks during a boding session. Anyways next chapter be up asap.**


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